


seeing red (hoping)

by a_space_pony



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Red String of Fate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 19:59:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12395160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_space_pony/pseuds/a_space_pony
Summary: Sometimes Jackie saw red.





	seeing red (hoping)

Sometimes Jackie saw red.

That sounds dark. Let’s backtrack. She saw red strings, thin little ropes that tied people together. Just when she’d convince herself that it was a hallucination, she’d manage to catch another glimpse, another string being pulled along the pavement and then disappearing in a flash.

Sometimes she’d look at her hands and wait for her string. But she knew there was no hope; not everyone had one. And she wondered if the string could be broken too, if two people could hurt each other so much as to cut it.

(She doubted it.)

Jackie knew she was different. She knew that no one else could see the strings, and she liked to think that she could live her life pretending they weren’t there. So what if maybe she could see who some people were destined to be with? It was none of her business.

Until she met Marco.

He hadn’t always had a string—no, it suddenly appeared one day. Maybe when she eventually thinks back on it, she’ll realize that it appeared when Star transferred to their school. When Star came into his life. Into his world.

The string was wrapped around his pinky finger, and he always tripped over it. Nothing major; just little stumbles here and there that only she knew the cause to. When she saw him and Star together for the first time, it was odd to grasp the fact that he’d found his soulmate—this perfect girl from another planet, another reality, another dimension, with happiness radiating off her like the sun (like a star).

Marco didn’t seem to like her at first. Jackie thought that maybe his feelings could’ve broken the string. She’d seen it tattered before, so close to tearing that she felt like it could sever at any moment. But it always tightened, pulled itself closer together, and then Jackie realized that the hardships it faced only made it stronger.

And then she found out about his feelings towards her (curse that lie-detecting cube). It was a moment she thought back on a lot and wondered if she could’ve done something different to prevent it—to prevent that string from fraying right in front of her.  _ No, _ she told herself.  _ It wasn’t my fault. _

What had she done to make him like her anyway?

Star didn’t look unhappy at the time. The facade made Jackie almost believe that the string didn’t exist, that maybe they weren’t soulmates, maybe she was hallucinating after all. But there was a wetness to Star’s eyes as she rubbed at them that couldn’t be mistaken for anything but hurt. (Betrayal, even). And then acceptance came and a soft smile and encouraging words and teasing glances.

It pained Jackie to pretend that it was okay. That it was okay to be with him. It was okay to hug him and kiss him and _love—_ (no, no, _no—_ ).

She couldn’t find the strength to turn him down. Not even Star’s fake grins could convince her to turn him down. (Maybe she’d always wanted this.)

And every time he sent an infatuated glance Jackie’s way, she’d feel goosebumps crawl on her skin, and then she’d tell herself it was just the temperature. It was natural. (Nothing to do with him.)

Jackie always felt guilty for interfering (could it be considered interfering? Jackie met him first, he was _technically—_ ) but there was too much on her shoulders for her to reject him. Too many mixed emotions and visions of tears that could form in his eyes. What if she made him cry?

But why did she care more about him than Star? she wondered. Somewhere not that deep down, she knew Star had cried over this (over him) before. Jackie would’ve, if she were in her place. Fortunately or unfortunately, she wasn’t, and would never be. Not with this power. (This curse.)

Jackie hated looking at their hands. But she could never stop looking at her own, and hoping to see a flash of red.


End file.
